Thursday, July 15, 2004
AUGUST 10TH 1967 AT YELLOWSTONE....
We slept late this morning…didn’t get up until 8:00am and it wasn’t so cold last night. We had pancakes and then got ready to see the northern part of the park. We went through a beautiful canyon area at Kingman Pass where the Golden Gate and the Rustic Falls are. Then on through a funny, big, lumpy, blobby rock area called the Silver Gate and on up to Mammoth Hot Springs. Since the earthquake that occurred here some time back most of the spring action has stopped but by the rock formations we could see how it used to be. Other things we saw along the road, were the nearby antelope, Roaring Mountain and Obsidian Cliff.
I have been happy that the children have been enthused and impressed with the things that we see every day. This is their first big trip and it has been exciting for them to see a different part of the world than they are used to. It will certainly help their geography from now on. They have been good about keeping their things together and staying in our own little group. It has taken co-operation to pick up the bedding every morning and make their beds at night. They have been pretty good little campers.
After seeing Mammoth Springs we stopped along the road and had a make-shift lunch so we could cover as much ground as possible. From there on around the northern circle we were in high country and climbed further up for a couple of hours. We enjoyed the gorge and springs as we looked down steep, jagged, canyon walls to the river below which was breath taking. Across the canyon was an antelope casually munching on grass near the edge of the rocks and we stayed to watch him for quite a while.
We drove on to Tower Falls and walked down to see them at close range. At the end of the stairs we were on a small observation point right at the place the water from the river went over……the sound was deafening. Being at close range was impressive to say the least. Leaving there we drove down the Dunraven Pass to Canyon Village to see the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone. We missed them yesterday and I’m sure glad we came back and found the way down to them as they are the most impressive falls in the park. We had steep, switch-backs to climb down with pines and wild flowers all the way. The roar of the falls kept getting louder as we went. At the bottom of the stairs, again, we were at the brink of the falls. Millions of gallons of green water thundering over a 308-foot drop into a gorge painted with orange, yellow, red, brown and sending a a white spray of mist high into the air.
It was such an inspiring display of nature’s beauty and power it makes a person feel pretty small and insignificant. We all enjoyed the experience. About a half-mile above us the river thunders down the Upper Falls that we saw yesterday on it’s way to drop over this place. The climb back up was slow and wearisome but made with the satisfaction that it was well worth it. We drove down to Lake Village where dad treated us all to an ice-cream sundae and it tasted mighty welcome after all of our walking and climbing.
We stopped at West Thumb to see the Paint Pots and walked ourselves everywhere but where we should have been to see them. Finally stumbling onto them we decided they weren’t as active as the Fountain Paint Pot we saw this morning but I was glad we came back to see them as the color was a little different. On the way back to camp we saw a mother moose and her little calf. They were quite a treat to see.
We got back to camp about 9:00pm and Old Faithful was erupting again as she had been when we left this morning. We fixed a quick bite to eat and got our beds made. There wasn’t the usual chatter after lights out……sleep overtook our little family as we settled in for our last night at Yellowstone……….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
I have been happy that the children have been enthused and impressed with the things that we see every day. This is their first big trip and it has been exciting for them to see a different part of the world than they are used to. It will certainly help their geography from now on. They have been good about keeping their things together and staying in our own little group. It has taken co-operation to pick up the bedding every morning and make their beds at night. They have been pretty good little campers.
After seeing Mammoth Springs we stopped along the road and had a make-shift lunch so we could cover as much ground as possible. From there on around the northern circle we were in high country and climbed further up for a couple of hours. We enjoyed the gorge and springs as we looked down steep, jagged, canyon walls to the river below which was breath taking. Across the canyon was an antelope casually munching on grass near the edge of the rocks and we stayed to watch him for quite a while.
We drove on to Tower Falls and walked down to see them at close range. At the end of the stairs we were on a small observation point right at the place the water from the river went over……the sound was deafening. Being at close range was impressive to say the least. Leaving there we drove down the Dunraven Pass to Canyon Village to see the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone. We missed them yesterday and I’m sure glad we came back and found the way down to them as they are the most impressive falls in the park. We had steep, switch-backs to climb down with pines and wild flowers all the way. The roar of the falls kept getting louder as we went. At the bottom of the stairs, again, we were at the brink of the falls. Millions of gallons of green water thundering over a 308-foot drop into a gorge painted with orange, yellow, red, brown and sending a a white spray of mist high into the air.
It was such an inspiring display of nature’s beauty and power it makes a person feel pretty small and insignificant. We all enjoyed the experience. About a half-mile above us the river thunders down the Upper Falls that we saw yesterday on it’s way to drop over this place. The climb back up was slow and wearisome but made with the satisfaction that it was well worth it. We drove down to Lake Village where dad treated us all to an ice-cream sundae and it tasted mighty welcome after all of our walking and climbing.
We stopped at West Thumb to see the Paint Pots and walked ourselves everywhere but where we should have been to see them. Finally stumbling onto them we decided they weren’t as active as the Fountain Paint Pot we saw this morning but I was glad we came back to see them as the color was a little different. On the way back to camp we saw a mother moose and her little calf. They were quite a treat to see.
We got back to camp about 9:00pm and Old Faithful was erupting again as she had been when we left this morning. We fixed a quick bite to eat and got our beds made. There wasn’t the usual chatter after lights out……sleep overtook our little family as we settled in for our last night at Yellowstone……….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
